The overall aim of the Development Policy and International Relations (DPIR) programme is to foster debate on EU external action policy issues that affect ACP-EU relations. Ultimately the objective is to support the ACP and particularly African actors to derive maximum benefit from their relations with the European Union. Based on the view that development cooperation is most effective when it adopts an integrated approach, the programme chooses to situate its work in the broader context of international relations. DPIR thus seeks to promote policy coherence for development across EU external action and to push forward thinking on how development cooperation can remain relevant in international affairs and contribute proactively towards solving global challenges and tackling poverty. More information is available in our latest workplan. The details of our staff expertise and interests are available here. The DPIR programme concentrates its work on two policy processes: Africa-EU relations/Joint Africa EU-Strategy (JAES) and EU international cooperation post Lisbon. Both processes bring together aspects of development cooperation and broader EU international relations. While the first follows the specificities of EU relations with one group of partner countries and a critical region for development, the second is more focused on current internal EU processes and the priority of ensuring maintenance for the quality and effectiveness of EU development cooperation within the new EU external action architecture.

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EU-Africa Relations

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Seven years after the first EU-Africa Summit, the 2007 Lisbon Summit brought the EU-Africa dialogue back to the highest political level and marked a turning point in relations with the adoption of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES). The implementation of the JAES began in earnest in 2009, after the institutional structures and processes had been developed in 2008. As a jointly agreed policy framework, based on common values and shared principles, the JAES has a great potential to improve dialogue and cooperation between Africa and Europe in the long term yet its implementation has not been without significant problems. As a policy framework that intends to go beyond development, beyond institutions and beyond Africa it has not progressed as fast as might have been hoped. 2010 is an important year for the future of EU-Africa relations as the 3rd Heads of State Summit will take place in Africa in November. The second JAES Action Plan will also be agreed. The related issue for EU-Africa dialogue is growing role of Africa’s other strategic partners such as China, the US, India and Latin America. On the basis of our analysis, ECDPM chooses in this policy process to focus on inclusiveness, facilitation, information sharing and the promotion of a balanced relationship. Read more...

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EU International Cooperation Post-Lisbon

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The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has an important impact on EU international cooperation. The process of institutional reform and its implementation linked to the Treaty will greatly determine the future place, role and weight of EU development policy and with it possibilities for improving coherence as well as its relation with Africa and the ACP. It is also recognised that due to closer interactions and ever intensifying globalisation the side effects of other EU policies on developing countries have become increasingly prominent. Therefore the other linked focus of this is process is the efforts made by both the EU and the ACP to ensure that policy making in sectors other than development cooperation takes account of development objectives, and where possible aims to contribute to their achievement. This growing trend gradually reduces the relative influence of ODA on promoting development and reorients ACP-EU cooperation and policy dialogue towards a wider focus on international cooperation. Finally the next EU Financial Framework (budget) is currently being prepared and this also will be a priority for DPIR work in this policy process given its impact on the EU’s relations with developing countries. Read more...

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Linked Policy topics

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Regional Integration During the past few years the DPIR team working with our colleagues in other departments has increasingly found that many of the subjects it works on are often best taken forward in a regional context. In 2010, with the Centre’s decision to explore regional integration processes in more depth, this trend has intensified and DPIR has now also worked on a couple of projects on donor coordination and effectiveness in support of regional integration in Africa, both in conjunction with the ETC team (eg. Joining Up Africa) and on its own in relation to Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) CAADP and Peace and Security. Publications on regional integration Challenges for ACP-EU Relations This annual Briefing paper previews some of the headline debates expected in 2011 and sketches the backdrop against which these will unfold. The briefing papers on challenges for ACP-EU relations of the previous years are also still available in our Information Centre Peace, security and development Peace and security and their relation to development are becoming an increasingly important part of the EU’s engagement with the rest of the world and for the course and conduct of EU-Africa relations. ECDPM with its partners focuses on EU-Africa collaboration in peace and security; evaluation of peace and security actions and the evolving EU policy framework for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Publications on Peace, Security and Development. Migration Migration is an increasingly important issue between EU and the ACP/Africa. ECDPM work on migration and development focuses on the link between migration and official EU-Africa and EU-ACP processes such as the JAES and Cotonou Partnership Agreement. Publications on Migration. Our partnerships ECDPM works with a variety of partners, including the official government and international institutions, NGOs and think tanks to achieve wider ownership of and engagement with EU-Africa relations. DPIR’s main focus is with four actors: the AU Commission, the EU presidencies, South Africa Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) of whom we have had joint events and/or joint publications over the last 18 months.

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Our previous work

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Find out what the DPIR programme has been working on in 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006. You can access our previous annual reports here. For more information on our activities, please contact Tilly Bogataj

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Programme publications, news and events

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Europafrica Bulletin Issue 48 - January 2012 (last issue) The e-bulletin provides you with an up-date on the implementation and monitoring process of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and EU-Africa relations more generally. "On the EEAS' 1st birthday: have EU-Africa relations benefitted from the past year?" Andrew Sherriff, 13 January, ECDPM Talking points, 2012 “Revolutions need to come from inside but transitions can do with support from outside” – So, what is the EU offering? Faten Aggad, ECDPM Talking Points, 13 January 2012 ECDPM Challenges paper: Questioning old certainties: Challenges for Africa-EU relations in 2012. This year's Challenges Paper identifies important debates that concern Africa-EU relations in 2012 and outlines the context within which these will take place. The role of France and the French in European development cooperation policy. Testimony of Dieter Frisch, ECDPM Board Member and former Director General Development of the European Commission. Presented at the Symposium "France, Europe and development aid from the Treaty of Rome to the Present". 8 December 2011. This text of ECDPM Board Member Dieter Frish, only available in French, has been presented at a seminar in Paris. It distinguishes between the evolving role of France in European development policy and that of European Commissioners and officials of French nationality. It shows a striking independence of the latter. New instruments proposed for EU external action – do we know enough about what worked with the old ones? Niels Keijzer, ECDPM Talking Points, 9 December 2011 Faria, F. 2011. What’s in the “New Deal” for engagement in fragile states? “ECDPM Talking Points, December 9, 2011 Sherriff, A. 2011. Is there a new impetus on the EU to deal with conflict and fragility in third countries?: Recent policy developments“ ECDPM Talking Points, November 25, 2011 Sherriff, A. 2011. A new EU impetus on conflict and fragility, or more of the same?: Institutions and evaluation ECDPM Talking Points, November 18, 2011 Deputy Director, Geert Laporte, and Head of EU External Action, Andrew Sherriff received and briefed a Delegation from the Pan African Parliament led by the Third Vice-President
Hon. Laroussi Hammi, MP. The briefing, which took place at ECDPM’s Brussels office on the 8th of December was on recent EU policy developments impacting Africa and ECDPM’s approach to EU-Africa relations. ECDPM’s Andrew Sherriff was a panellist in a meeting in Berlin organised by the German Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt) on 6th of December 2011. This meeting was to discuss the EC evaluation of conflict prevention and peace building and give expert input into the future of EU conflict prevention with representatives of BMZ, GIZ and German expert organisations on conflict and peace. Along with the relevant Heads of Units and Divisions from the EEAS, DEVCO and FPI, other thematic experts and civil society ECDPM was at the launch of the EC Evaluation of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding 2001-2010. ECDPM provided expert input to the evaluation and answered questions along with ADE on issues arising from the report. ECDPM also chaired the final session of this event on the 7th of November 2011. A presentation of the final report by the ADE team leader that ECDPM was part of is available here. Open letter to members of the European Parliament "Attention, MEPs: Do not lose sight of the bigger picture, the future of EU external action is up for grabs" Mr. Andrew Sherriff, Senior Executive - International Relations at ECDPM provided an assessment of the new EU strategy for security and development in the Sahel to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Working Group on Conflict, Security and Development on the 20th of October 2011. Sherriff, A. 2011. The EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel - An indicator for the future of EU External Action? ECDPM Talking Points, 23 September 2011 Klavert,H. Engel, P. and N. Keijzer. 2011. Still a thorn in the side? The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy from the perspective of Policy Coherence for Development Discussion Paper 126 The ACP and Europe: What future for a privileged relationship? Geert Laporte, ECDPM Talking Points Blog, 20 May 2011 Who is who? The new EU diplomats for Africa, ECDPM Talking Points, 28 March 2011 Europe, anno 2010: A new start in international development cooperation? Jeske van Seters, ECDPM Talking Points Blog, 8 February 2010 Fishing in troubled waters? An analysis of the upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy from the perspective of Policy Coherence for Development, Discussion Paper 120 African Union frameworks for migration: current issues and questions for the future, Discussion Paper 108 The EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework post-2013: Options for EU development cooperation On 29 June, the European Commission is expected to come out with a Communication on the EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework post 2013, which will include proposals affecting EU development cooperation. This will mark the beginning of a negotiation process with EU Member States and the European Parliament. To inform the debate, the European Think-Tanks Group, composed of DIE (Bonn), ECDPM (Maastricht), FRIDE (Madrid) and ODI (London), has published a joint paper. It reviews the landscape of EU development cooperation, which is marked by major questions around the comparative advantage of a Europe-wide-approach to development assistance and the role of the EU in the future global aid architecture. The authors propose and analyse a set of options for the EU external action instruments, specifically related to: priorities and assistance towards Middle Income Countries and emerging economies; flexibility of instruments; dealing with climate finance; strengthen security and development linkages; and budgetising or maintaining a separate European Development Fund. Paul Engel (with Jeske van Seters) contributed to a web debate on the friends for Europe website: Is there a place for development in the new European External Affairs? ERD 2012: European Report on Development An ODI project funded by European Commission, in partnership with ECDPM and The German Development Institute / Deutsche Institut für Entwicklungspolitik. For further information, visit the ERD 2012 webpage AUC Bulletin (April 2011) Including articles from Geert Laporte (The Africa-EU Partnership in a Post-Lisbon and Post-Tripoli context), Henrike Klavert (EU external action post-Lisbon: What place is there for development policy?) and Jeske van Seters (EU funding for Africa, business as usual or changes ahead?). New trends in EU development policy reflections on the Green Paper on EU development policy support of inclusive growth and sustainable development The European Union is reflecting on ways to increase the impact of EU development policy. In this context the European Commission published a Green Paper in November 2010 on EU development policy in support of inclusive growth and sustainable development, with questions to which individuals, organisations and countries were invited to react. Over 200 stakeholders provided written contributions to the consultation process and the Green Paper has been discussed in multiple fora. The consultation process will be followed by a Communication of the Commission on a ‘modernised EU development policy’ in June 2011. This briefing note examines the trends reflected in the Green Paper and issues for the National and Regional Authorising Officers to consider in view of their exchange of views with the European Commission on the future of EU development policy. Andrew Sherriff discussed on a panel Daniel Bach's Kapuscinski lecture on "The EU's Strategic Partnership with Africa: A Model Lost in Translation?" on 7 April 2011 in The Hague. Andrew agreed with Bach's assertion that the "EU's vision of Africa needs to change if Europe does not wish to be sidelined in the future development of Africa" and noted that the political dialogue component of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy had been disappointing. A report is available here. The EU's new diplomats for Africa - Who are they and what policy context do they face? (Europafrica.net/ECDPM article) Europe now has a new diplomatic institution, the European External Action Service (EEAS). But who are the recently appointed Senior officials that will deal with Africa within the service? And what challenges will they face in EU policy towards Africa? On development policy, the EU’s External Action Service is looking vulnerable The idea of making European policies coherent with EU development objectives is vitally important. But Paul Engel warns that the cracks in the Brussels’ new bureaucratic structure are already starting to show. Read the full article at Europe's World. The European External Action Service: Preparing for success (by Clingendael). James Mackie contributed with the chapter 'New competition in town'. This section first provides some contextual elements to situate the EU contribution to development cooperation, and the development provisions in the Treaty of Lisbon are then outlined. Key structural issues regarding the EEAS are raised and the roles of the High Representative and the EEAS in development are discussed. Final report now available from European Development Days session organised by ECDPM on the "Post Lisbon Landscape: Development at a Crossroads" Click here for more news, events and publications. To see full list of programme publications, click here